Australia gesture

Calcutta: Australia, the top-ranked ODI side, will play emerging cricket nation Afghanistan for the first time in an one-day International in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month.

The game will serve as a warm-up for Australia’s series against Pakistan in the UAE, which precedes the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka in September-October.

ICC president Alan Isaac has welcomed the news. Speaking from Dublin, where he will watch Afghanistan play Ireland, Isaac said: “This fixture supports ICC’s initiative to provide more opportunities for our top-ranking associate/affiliate member teams to play against better opposition. ”